My Journey in the Rain of Life

This has been a challenging six months for me with having a disease called sarcoidosis in my lungs and heart. I rejoice in God's goodness and that His grace has been available to assist me in my battle with discouragement. I have chosen to rejoice.
I have begun to share devotionals that are parts of my journaling from the last 4 months. You will find these devotionals throughout my blog in the aqua color text.
Dan

Saturday, April 25, 2009

My apologies for being a little bit behind on posting Dad's devotionals. I know many of you get them via e-mail...but for those of you that only read them on the blog, you get a triple dose today! I've posted 3 from the past couple of weeks.

It's so encouraging to see dad feeling so well....it's been many months. When I say feeling so well, I mean that he can actually walk the length of the driveway and then some! For a long time it was difficult to go room to room in the house. We praise God for some steps toward healing and pray that dad's health continues in that direction. His spirits are up as he sees bits of healing taking place.

Words can't express each of our thanks for all of your prayers, especially on days where (as a family) it was hard to even know how to pray. We know many of you have offered prayers for us as well.

Would you say that most believers are living by faith? In a book that I recently read I was challenged by the following statement: “ What are you doing right now that requires faith”? For many believers, they probably cannot think of anything in their lives that require faith. Life is comfortable and they do not need God or have trust Him for many things. But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through. The Hall of Fame faith chapter is found in Hebrews 11. The author of this book records many OT saints and great patriarchs and gives examples of their faith. Many of these individuals had weak faith at times but demonstrated the reality of mature faith at some point in their lives. It shows that we can grow in our faith. The author states: ”And without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). We need to depend upon God for everything and this demands our faith. Faith is the confidence that what God has stated in His Word is true, and that God will act according to what He has said in His Word. This reliance upon God’s Word produces confidence and growth in our faith. The question is, has God spoken in His Word? When He has, then we need to believe and trust Him completely. Our faith can be developed and may increase from feeble faith to mature faith. God uses trials, obstacle and difficulties to become the very food for faith. It is through trials that faith is developed (James 1:2-4). We go through the furnace so we can be refined and become more useful for God’s kingdom (I Peter 1:6-7). God, out of His love, allows these times so we can rely upon what He has promised in His Word. God is using my illness so that I will trust Him more and grow my faith. I struggle with the losses in my life but remind myself of God’s promises that I have claimed. This has encouraged me in the tough times when things looked very dismal. We need to realize that God is not obligated to explain His actions to us. I am confident that my faith has grown because I have seen the Bible speak to my every need. When I worry, it implies that I do not trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in my life. Perhaps God is allowing hard things in your life, so you can show the world that your God is great and brings peace and joy, even when life is difficult. God has given me an opportunity to minister to others and use the lessons that I am learning to encourage and challenge others. Now back to the question, “What are you doing right now that requires faith?” God wants your faith to grow and He may put obstacles and difficulties in your life to develop your faith. I want my faith to be mature faith where I trust God and His Word at all times.

When it comes down to the end of our life, it will not matter how successful we have been or how many assets we have accumulated. What will be important is that we have built meaningful relationships with people. In fact, a life is wasted if it has not had an impact on the lives of others. Paul was ministered to by two special friends, Timothy and Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:19, 25). They were dear friends and willing to sacrifice and serve to meet Paul’s physical needs. Epaphroditus became ill and almost died while he was ministering and serving Paul. Paul told the Philippian church to welcome him with joy and honor him for his work and ministry. He recognized that people were important especially as they partnered together with him in team ministry. We need to recognize that there are only two things that last beyond this life, the Word of God and people. People will live forever and can make an impact in this life and for eternity. It is wise to build meaningful relationships with people so that you can influence them for the Kingdom. It is rewarding and gives meaning to our lives when we invest our time and effort in people. Due to my illness, I have a new love for people and deep appreciation for relationships. This has been a difficult six months for me, as I have been isolated from people. I am so thankful for friends who have reached out to me during my illness. I look at people differently now and value them and the relationships that I have built over the years. I value what family and friends mean to me because life is short and relationships are eternal. It is tragic that in our society today, we tend to minimize relationships. We need people in our lives and need to make building friendships a real priority. The Bible talks about the “community of believers” within the local church, where there should be deep, meaningful relationships. Our family relationships should be encouraging and edifying because they were designed by God to be a loving, intimate support for you in time of need. Sometimes, it takes a time of hardship to value and rebuild these important relationships. Why wait until it is almost too late? Paul acknowledges the value of people by listing a number of names of men who had ministered to him and with him in the final chapter of his epistles. Paul states a principle in the relationship between joy and people: “So that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me“ (Phil. 1:26). People can bring us great joy as we minister to them and they help “bear our burdens” (Gal. 6:2). God uses others to help us grow in our spiritual lives and develop our character. People can give us affirmation and encourage us to value ourselves and to strive to be all that God wants us to be in this life. When we learn to serve others and live unselfish lives (Phil. 2:3-4), it gives us a sense of purpose. We receive joy when we are with people and enjoy genuine fellowship that enhances our walk with the Lord. God uses our friendships to encourage us and to assist us in time of need and adversity. As we influence others, it brings us great joy because we know that we can impact people while we are on this earth. Our joyful spirit can create an environment for others to be more joyful. People matter to God and we need to love them enough to invest in their lives. As I think of people who have encouraged me in my life, it is people who have walked with authenticity in their spiritual life and demonstrated the “fruits of the spirit” in their life. I need to realize the impact that I can make upon others as I live faithfully and strive to build relationships. Do you value people and purposefully and intentionally make relationships a high priority in your life?

Friday, April 24, 2009

David shouts out: “I cried out to the Lord for help, I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord” (Ps. 76:1-2). David had a life of pain and heartache and often made this his prayer. It is great that we can call out to God and know that He is always available, that He never turns a deaf ear to us. He is never too busy for us and delights to hear from us at any time. God is omnipresent so He is everywhere at all times. What a comfort to know that we are in His presence at all times and that we can never be away from Him. David expressed himself openly to God and was in constant danger of King Saul during his early years. After he became king of Israel, he was in constant warfare with the surrounding nations. His children caused him great grief and he experienced times of real heart pain because of their wayward paths. David was often in “distress” and he would turn to God and seek after the Lord. In the Psalms, we find David is often very transparent and upset with his life circumstances, as he expresses his feelings to God. He ultimately turns to God and recognizes that He is the only one that he can trust and rely upon for strength. All of us will go through difficult times and it is during those times that we can call out to the Lord and know that He cares and understands. In our errant theology we may think that God only cares about the major issues of our life. In reality, God cares about everything and we can seek after Him for comfort and strength. God does not put things into categories of spiritual vs. secular because everything is important to God. We can cry out to God and know that He is listening and cares. What hardships are you now facing? Are you running to God or are you running from God? This illness has made me call out to God on numerous occasions. There are things that I have never had to deal with before and my health issues are sometimes beyond what I can humanly handle. I have had to face life and death issues with this illness and it has taught me the fragileness of life. Every day is a gift from God and needs to be treasured. I value things that I took for granted and I have often said that I now see things through a new lense. I have a new appreciation for things that I did not value or had not seen before this illness. I do not question God’s sovereignty but there have been discouraging times that have made life very difficult for me. I have cried out to God and He has never turned a deaf ear to my need. I am so glad that God cares about the small things in my life and also the major issues that I am now facing. Elisha did many miracles during his ministry in Israel. He healed the sick, raised people from the dead, and stopped invading armies. While he was ministering to the “School of the Prophets” (II Kings 6:1-7), he went down to the Jordan River to assist some of the men as they cut down trees for a new building at the school. One of the men lost an axe head and was worried about how he would replace it. Elisha’s miracle of raising the axe head was pretty insignificant compared to some of his other miracles but it reminds us that God cares about the “axe heads” in our life. “Axe heads” are the trivial things that may seem unimportant and yet they can be just as significant because it shows that God is at work in our life. Those God-sightings can be a great encouragement to us as we see that our God is faithful and dependable at all times. There is nothing too small for us to “cry out to God” and turn to Him for assistance and help. Will you learn to run to Him for everything? When we fail to do this, it is a form of pride and that will keep us from turning to Him. In reality we are living independent of God and leaning upon our strength when we fail to turn to Him with our needs. What is God going to use in your life to teach you to be totally dependent upon Him?

I am still making positive progress with my health issues and that has been very encouraging. The next month will determine if the new treatment is working. Thank you for your prayer support and I hope this devotional will be a blessing to you. I have found the Psalms to be a wonderful way to keep my focus on God and to worship Him. When I do that, I am overwhelmed with gratitude toward God and find myself trusting Him through the difficult days. I enjoy hearing how God is using these devotionals and would welcome your responses.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

I wanted to report to you that I am feeling so much better this week and have made steady progress. The cardologist this week feels that the new treatment is working and my EKG showed a normal heart beat. They checked my device (defibrillator) and it only showed several minor episodes over the past three weeks. I want to thank you for your prayer support because I believe through prayer and treatment that God is working to bring healing. I also want you to know that I have been in contact with a man in N. Carolina that has cardiac sarcoid. His name is Kevin and is 46 years old and is a teacher and coach. He has had sarcoidosis for 12 years and struggled for ten years until he started taking Reliv , a nutrient supplement to increase your immune system. He is a Christian man and my daughter-in-law's aunt connected us together. His problems sound very similar to mine and yet since he has been taking Reliv it has helped him substantially and he is playing sports, exercising three times a week, and riding his mountain bike to school every day. It was great to talk to someone who understands and to also know that there can be long term improvement. I realize that this is all in God's hands but I am more encouraged than I have been in months. It is so hard for me to not be involved with people and to be out of the pulpit and I look forward to that day when God allows me that opportunity. I feel that I have so much to say and yet a very limited platform to say what God is teaching me through these life lessons.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The blessed hope for every believer is the Lord’s Return. This is called the Rapture, where we are taken to heaven prior to the Tribulation period. My health issues with a disease called sarcoidosis, have impacted me in many ways. Biblical truth has come alive, and means so much more to me because I have a new understanding of the urgency of my time and fragileness of life. The book of I Thessalonians was one of the first letters that Paul wrote to the church. He probably wrote it from Corinth around 51 AD. Paul started this church on his second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-9), but He only spent a few weeks in Thessalonica due to persecution. This church seemed to do well, now Paul is writing to encourage them in their doctrinal understanding. Apparently, they had a misunderstanding about the doctrinal truth regarding life after death and the nature of Christ’s Return. Every chapter ends with an emphasis on Christ’s Return and how that should impact the way we live. One of the great truths of Scripture is the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible is filled with prophecy about the Second Coming and that we need to be ready and prepared. I believe our view of the future affects how we live in the present. Knowing that Jesus’ return is imminent, that He could return at any time, is a great incentive for godly living. Paul states that we are “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (1:9). In light of this truth, we need to be serving while we are waiting. This is the balance, as we live our lives in this world, yet with the expectancy of Jesus’ near return. We do not know the time or hour when the rapture may take place but we should be prepared and waiting with anticipation for His Return. This should give us a great desire to serve Christ while we are alive and to realize there is a limited amount of time left in the world. Many people are interested in prophecy and how current events may fit into God’s future plan. We should be careful not to try to force Scripture into current events by trying to figure out the time of Christ’s Return. Prophecy can be a healthy springboard to share spiritual truth with believers and to share the gospel with unbelievers. Many people have an interest in how the world’s situation is preparing the way for the Second Coming. When we come down to what really counts in life, it is the people who we influence for Christ. Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed you are our glory and joy” (I Thess. 1:19-20). What a great truth, that we can impact people’s lives for eternity, which gives us real joy and satisfaction in our lives. When Jesus comes to return, it will not matter the amount of assets that we have accumulated or our status on this earth. We will look at what our life has accomplished for the kingdom, and how many lives we have influenced. There will be crowns given at the “bema seat” for our faithfulness and service in this life. What a great motivation to live for God and for eternity. We will lay these crowns at the feet of Jesus showing our love and appreciation for all that He has done for us. People are worth it all, I need to invest my life and effort in the lives of people. The Word of God and souls are the only things that are eternal. God has used this illness in my life to remind me again of the value of people. I need to make sure that I invest in their lives by serving and ministering to their spiritual needs. I am thankful for the opportunities that God is opening for me to minister to people through my illness. I pray that my devotionals will be used to encourage and challenge people with God’s truth, as I look at life from my vantage point and my life experiences. Living in light of Christ’s Return will change the way you live!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I am sorry to say this has been one of the most difficult weeks of my life. I just arrived home from the hospital after spendin six days at the Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids. On Friday, March 20, I had another shock from my defibrillator. Apparently, my heart went into a serious irregular pattern but I do not know it until I get shocked. They have a new combination of drugs that they are treating me with. We are hoping and praying that this combination will work together to arrest and put the sarcoidosis in remission.

They did a procedure where they went up into my heart and cauterized some of the inflamed area. Because of the extent of the disease, they were only able to hit ten spots and put kind of a perimeter around the sarcoid. They are reaching the limits of what they can do, so the next step would be to send me to Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic.

One positive note is that the echocardiogram showed that my heart is functioning better than other tests have shown. It is actually at the low, normal range. I am feeling much better at the present time. Thank you for all of your concern and prayer support.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

God has put us on earth to develop our character, to test our faithfulness, and get us ready for eternity. Paul reminds us in Col. 3:1-3, that we need to set our hearts on eternal things and to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice when he states: “Set your heart on things above . . . . . not on earthly things.” This is a daily struggle because the temporal things tend to take precedence and the urgent things occupy our daily routine. There are many necessary things that we do in order to live. How do we keep those things from dominating our life and taking our attention away from the eternal? We need to remind ourselves what is eternal and what is temporal. It all comes down to our priorities and what we value the most in our lives. What is of eternal importance in relationship to what is only of this world? We can see all around us that life is short and just a vapor that can vanish away. We are reminded that death can happen at any age as we observe the obituary page in the newspaper. You realize the brevity of life, when that someone who you spoke to recently, now is gone into eternity. The average person in America will live 700,000 hours. Isn’t it worth it to spend your time with eternity’s view in mind? It is imperative that you discover what God wants you to do with your life. The Bible was written by our Creator, and is the owner’s manual for our life. One of the lessons that God has taught me through my illness is the fragileness of life. The psalmist states: “Remember how fleeting is my life . . . What man can live and not see death” (Ps. 89:47-48). Life is short compared to eternity and we are reminded daily that death is for everyone. The psalmist also states the following , “Teach me to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). In light of the brevity of life, we need to live every day as though it may be our last day. This would motivate us to live for eternity and not selfish pursuits. Just think how all of our lives would change. We tend to live for now and the temporary rather than the eternal. How should I live every day? I want to live with the realization that time is short on this earth and I need to do all that I can to live for the kingdom and God’s purposes. I need to look for ways today to serve the Lord and make a difference. I realize that I have had several encounters with death, because each time my defibrillator has gone off it has kept me from cardiac arrest. I also recognize that the defibrillator is not 100% foolproof. My heart could get into such a irregular heart beat that the defibrillator would not get it back to its normal rhythm. All these factors are a constant reminder that God has been gracious to protect me and keep me alive. I believe that He wants to continue to use me and has deepened my message through my life experiences. I want to daily ask God to help me gain a heart of wisdom, especially when it comes to making the most of my time. I want my life to count for eternity. As we read Scripture and meditate on it we will tend to keep the eternal in front of us. This leads me to live a more purposeful and focused life. As I apply God’s Word to my life issues, it keeps my focus on eternal things. God’s plan is that we are to grow and mature in Christ (Col. 2:7-8). As I develop spiritual maturity in my life, it will bring me to a place where the temporal is not as attractive. I can focus on the eternal and keep my priorities right because I will make God’s purposes my desire. Who or what are you living for? One of the lessons that God has taught me through my illness is the fragileness of life. I want my life to count for eternity!

Monday, March 9, 2009

I am making some slow progress and regaining strength after being in the hospital so long in February. I just found out that I am now diabetic and have to take some oral medicine twice a day after checking my blood levels. This should be temporary because it is caused by the prednisone. They said they were going to start reducing my prednisone soon and I will look forward to that because of all the side effects.

I have had many positive comments about the devotionals that I've written. It has been a joy for me to take my daily journals that I write and to make some minor revisions and to share them as devotionals. Thank you for those who have written back to let me know how God is using this in your life or as a tool to encourage others. This has been a real blessing for me to know that God can use my life experiences for His glory and the growth of His people.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

How involved are you in personal evangelism? This is probably one area that every believer struggles with in their life. Satan wants to keep us from sharing the greatest message to those without Christ. It is easy to become apathetic about evangelism and to excuse our lack of obedience. The book of Philemon is only one chapter, but yet it reminds us of the salvation of a former slave. Philemon’s slave had fled from him and had become a believer. He has served Paul faithfully while he was in prison, and ministered to his physical needs. Paul asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to recognize that he is a fellow follower of Christ. Paul states a wonderful truth about the importance of evangelism with this statement: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you may have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (Philemon 1:6) . We should all be active in sharing the gospel because it is commanded in Scripture and a matter of obedience (Matt. 28:19-20). I had many opportunities to share Christ with people when I was in the hospital. It is always a thrill to share my faith and to let others know of the joy and security of knowing Christ (I John 5:13). I find that many are willing to listen because of my illness and more receptive to my message because of what I am going through in my life. Our trials can be a springboard for sharing our faith. God has designed for every believer to be involved in personal evangelism . He uses people and their example and proclamation of the simple gospel message. I believe the most effective way of evangelism involves building relationships and friendships. We need to be building redemptive relationships for the purpose of sharing Christ. Paul’s insight is both a challenge to sharing Christ and a realization that when you are involved in evangelism, it will change your life. When you share the gospel, it gives you an understanding of your position in Christ and the wealth of that relationship. What happens when you witness? It reminds us, first, that we are sinners and have no hope because of our permanent separation from God. Salvation is a free gift, undeserved, and it is completely by God’s grace. Our position in Christ gives us a wealth of spiritual treasure that we receive at the moment of our salvation. When we witness we are reminded of these many rich blessings that we have in Christ. Sharing Christ in obedience will change our life and assist us in our spiritual growth. We will enable God to transform us as we marvel at the spiritual wealth that we have “in Christ.” Make personal evangelism a priority in your life. I have found a good way to keep my focus on evangelism and make this a real priority in my life. I have developed an evangelism prospect list. This is simply a list of unsaved people, who I pray for regularly. I pray for their salvation and for an opportunity to build a deeper relationship for the purpose of sharing Christ. I guarantee that if you pray for people you will develop a heart for people. Are you passionate about sharing the gospel with people who need the Lord? It will change your life!Dan

Saturday, February 28, 2009

God is love! Do we really understand and comprehend this wonderful attribute of God. It is dangerous to sum up grand truths in one statement, but I’m going to try. God loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us that way. He wants us to be just like Jesus. I have gained a new understanding of how much I am loved by God. God’s unconditional love is one of the great truths that have helped me at 3:00 am, when I am unable to sleep. The prednisone (steroids) treatment creates insomnia and the fear of another defibrillator shock can keep me up as well. I have faced emotions and physical challenges that are very difficult to deal with because of my illness. The realization of God’s love has been a real comfort and encouragement during those times of anxiety. I have often meditated on this attribute of God and have found that I am able to focus on Him and be comforted by Him.God’s love is clearly stated in I John 3:1 –“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”. God clearly demonstrated His love for us as we were given eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). He provided redemption through His death on the cross so now we have an eternal relationship to Him. David reminds us that, “ I will be glad and rejoice in your love” (31:7). God had a special covenantal love in the Old Testament, for His people, Israel. He loves the whole world but there is a special love that is described in the New Testament for His church. The church, the “called out ones”, who are true believers and followers of Christ, are recipients of God’s special love. It is reassuring that even death cannot separate me from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39). What an awesome thought to know that I am loved by the Almighty God . God’s love is identified in many different ways for His children as He cares for us and comforts us (II Cor. 1:4; 4:3), in our time of need. I have been going through an illness that I had never heard of until it was diagnosed in my lungs back in June of 2008. The sacroidosis moved to my heart in September and at that time I had a defibrillator/pacemaker inserted in my chest. This device has kept me alive on three different occasions when my heart went into cardiac arrest because of a severe irregular heart beat. This has put me in a new journey of life that has allowed me to see everything through a different lens. I am thankful for the many things that God has been teaching me during this challenging time. God’s love does not increase with performance or decrease with mistakes. God loves us just the way we are. If you think that His love would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. I want to focus on His love and keep my thoughts on how much I am loved by God. I have to admit that it is easy to look at what I am missing and to grieve over my losses. I want to feel better and want to do the things that I used to be able to do. God has the power to heal but it is totally in His hands. I am ready and prepared for death and not afraid because I know that I will spend eternity in heaven. Either way, I am loved and blessed beyond measure. I want to rejoice in God’s love and remind myself that He is lavishing it on me. It is so amazing to know that I am loved unconditionally by God and that God is using this illness to change me to be more like Jesus.Dan

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

”That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death” - Philippians 3:10 I chose this verse as my life verse many years ago and now I have a deeper understanding of it because of my personal struggle with a disease called sarcoidosis. It is God’s plan for every believer to know Him through a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. God does not design painful experiences without a purpose. One purpose is to draw us near to Him and to know God more intimately. Paul identifies that we can know Him through the power of the resurrection, and we can fellowship in His suffering. This speaks of knowing Christ beyond head knowledge and really getting to know Him. This is knowing Him intimately where we understand and value the depth of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul writes the epistle of Ephesians to teach them doctrine (chap. 1-3) and then to encourage practical Christian living (chap. 4-6). He states in his prayer for the church: ”I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus . . . may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better”(Eph 1:17). It is not enough to know about God, but you need to have an intimate, personal relationship that is authentic and real. Why is it that when we go through trials we seem to develop that type of relationship? Perhaps it is because we take time to go to Him and spend time in earnest and heartfelt prayer. It may be that God gets our attention, and we realize there is sin and disobedience in our lives. The Holy Spirit must be active and working due to our living a Spirit-filled life. God reveals His truth through the Word, and we can discern and comprehend that hope that we can have because of Jesus Christ. It is God’s design that we know Him and have our “eyes enlightened so that we could know the hope to which we have been called” (Eph. 1:18). The hope for the believer is the expectation that better things are ahead for us. For me that blessed hope is the reality of spending eternity with God. I have a new understanding of eternity and how fragile life is on the earth. God is teaching me that my trials enable me to identify and understand in a new way the suffering that Jesus went through for me when He died for my sins on the cross (I Peter). Life is often described as a series of valleys and mountain tops. We usually live in the valley and experience the mountain tops once in a while in life. I believe life is more like railroad tracks that run parallel where we always have trials and we always have Christ to enable us during life’s difficulties. We can depend on God at all times, and yet we are in the middle of a trial or will face a trial in the future. God wants us to know Him personally, and it is often through hardships that we depend on Him and develop greater intimacy with Him. A friend recently came by to visit, and he shared the tragic loss of his daughter at the age of six when she was hit by a car crossing the road. He said that God used this tragedy for his spiritual growth and that it was a pivotal time in his life. I want to learn all that God has designed for me through this trial with my illness. It is my quest to know my Savior genuinely and intimately so that my relationship is alive and real. My prayer is that I will always be teachable and will grow and develop a deeper relationship with my heavenly Father.

I arrived home from the Meijer Heart Center yesterday (Feb. 23) after a twelve day stay. I recently figured that I have been in the hospital for 28 days since the beginning of September. I had been in such good health that I had never spent a night in the hospital in my life until getting sarcoidosis. I am overwhelmed with the prayer support from churches and individuals around the world.

I have had a rollercoaster experience during these past several weeks. I ended my last two days with a 36 hour nosebleed until a doctor cauterized the veins in my nose yesterday. I had two defibrillator shocks last Tuesday night while I was in the hospital because they could not get my heart to beat from its extreme irregular pattern. I had a reaction to medicine where I lost my speech for 30 minutes and they thought I was having a stroke.

This has been quite a journey but God is at work in my life and in others because of my illness. I want to bring glory to Him through this and through my devotionals. I will be sending my next email to you with the devotional and pray that it will be a challenge and blessing. Thank you for your prayer support and concern for my situation.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Have you ever felt like you were kicked in the chest by a horse while having your finger in an electrical socket? About ten minutes after I wrote this devotional, I experienced two shocks from my defibrillator on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. I guess God wanted me to know experientially what I had just written. Needless to say, this is very painful and I have experienced this on three occasions with a total of seven shocks. I am thankful for my defibrillator because it has kept me alive on each of these episodes, but it is not an experience that I want to go through regularly. Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the flesh three times, but God did not take away this problem (ICor.12:7-8). We do not know what this thorn was that Paul was dealing with, and we can only speculate. Most believe that it was some type of physical ailment that God refused to take away from Paul because He wanted to use it in his life as a tool for spiritual growth and transformation. It is God’s design to develop us, not to ease our pain. Through His grace, He provides what we need at the moment that we need it. God wants us to cope with our trials as we depend upon Him. It is through our weakness that God’s power is made evident in our life (IICor.12:9 - “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness). We cannot rely upon our strength as we go through life issues but must totally depend upon God . Perhaps one of the great lessons that we learn as we travel through hardships is total dependency upon God. We need to recognize how weak we are, so we can understand God’s power as we cope with the difficulties of life. God often puts us through trials to teach us that we cannot in our own strength face these challenges. This will help us to be humble and admit our need for God. During this illness, I have learned how dependent I am upon God and how little I can control or change. I am still learning that it is through my weakness that God’s strength is evident in my life. I tend to be mentally strong when I am physically throughout my life in the areas of sports and fitness. Due to God’s grace, I have been responding without bitterness or questioning God’s wisdom. It is only through God’s enablement that I am able to deal with this emotional trauma during my treatment of this illness. I rejoice in God’s grace and strength that has helped me through this difficult time in my life. I do not know my future, but I want to rely upon God’s power to help me respond in a Christ-honoring way and be a testimony for God. I recognize how weak I am and totally dependent on His grace, but in my weakness I am filled with God’s power. Why would I want to rely upon my strength when I have His unlimited power to lean upon and learn from?

I have been at the Miejer Heart Center for a week and finally they have found the right combination of medicines to control my irregular heart beat. I received good news on Monday from my heart cath that my heart is functioning twice as well as reported from the PETscan. The Petscan (Dec. 22) was taken when my heart was in one of its irregular heart patterns and I ended up in the hospital that night. We were hoping that those results were not accurate and that proved to be true. They have now taken me off the West Michigan Heart Failure Group and the heart transplant potential has been taken off the table.

They are going to treat me with a new medicine (Remicade) which has had some remarkable success with cardiac sarcoid patients. That was very encouraging news but then on Tuesday night at 9:00 PM (Feb. 17) my defibrillator went off twice and my heart was beating uncontrollably. They could not give me medicine at that time and the entire night I lived in fear of being shocked. By Wednesday afternoon things were under control and I am out of danger. I should be able to go home in a couple of days. I am thankful for God’s protection and His provision of grace during a difficult time. I have enclosed my next devotional and trust that it will be a blessing and spiritual challenge for you.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

“If you forgive anyone, I also will forgive them, and what I have forgiven, if there was anything to forgive, I have forgiven in the sight of God for your sake, In order that Satan may not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” II Cor 2: 10-11

One of the most difficult things in life is to go through tough times and not develop an unforgiving or bitter spirit. It can be easy to be unforgiving because of the hurt and pain that people can cause you. With tough circumstances in life, it can be easy to develop a bitter spirit toward life or God. I have reminded myself almost daily that I have the potential to become bitter because of my health issues. I know what the Bible teaches about an unforgiving spirit and a bitter attitude, so I know the serious consequences of this sin. God in His rich grace has helped me to not question Him with my illness and to accept it as part of His plan for my life. However, I know that in my human weakness I could begin to question God and become angry with my life circumstances. I need to be vigilant and watch my attitude because the enemy is looking for an avenue to impact my mind. In II Cor. 2:10-11, Paul describes that to be unforgiving is a serious sin, and Satan can use this to outwit us and cause us to be deceived by his schemes (2:11). At times we are unaware of our unforgiving attitude toward another person. One good way to check whether you have an unforgiving spirit is to ask yourself how you feel when you are with this person. Can you speak to them in love without feeling any animosity or can you be around them without feeling tense or nervous? Forgiveness results in freedom for the individual rather than bondage. It is really the sin of spiritual pride when we fail to forgive because a critical and judgmental attitude assumes that we are not in need of forgiveness. Scripture teaches us that we are to forgive others as we were forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:31-32). When we have an angry, unforgiving spirit we are actually giving room for the enemy to work in our lives, and we give him a foothold in our lives (Eph. 4:26-27). One of the things that I have observed in my ministry is that an unforgiving attitude is something that many believers struggle with because of past hurts and painful experiences. Believers are ultimately bitter against God because without realizing it they are blaming God for the pain and circumstances in life that have made them angry and bitter. So, what should we do when we are facing situations that are undeserved or seem like they are not fair. We need to accept everything as part of God’s plan but not blame God for things that are unfair or seem wrong. We need to forgive people and move forward without developing a bitter spirit. The enemy is at work and wants to destroy our lives, and one of his greatest weapons is to persuade us to not forgive others. Experience freedom rather than bondage by making sure that you do not tolerate the sin of holding grudges and not forgiving others. Your unforgiving spirit will cause you great harm physically, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Dear Family,I wanted to report on my heart cath today. We probably got the best news that we could have gotten from this test. The ejection fraction (level at which the heart pumps) was 35-40% which is twice what the PETscan showed over a month ago. We were not confident that the PETscan was reliable because my heart was beating off the chart at that time and I ended up in the hospital later that Day (Dec. 22). My arteries are in great shape with no blockage and the pressure tests were good. Instead of looking at putting a LVAD (artifiical heart pumpt) right away and being put on the list for a heart transplant they are gong to try some new medicine (Remicade) which has been successfull in some cardiac sarcoid patients. I am still in the hospital because they can not get my heart back to a normal beat and it is still irregular 75% of the time. Thank you for your concern and prayer support. I am encouraged and trusitng God that He will accomplish His plan in my life and that I will be a testimony of His grace.Love,Dan

Dad's heart catherization has been rescheduled for this morning. He is in OR Prep right now (9:30a.m.) and will hopefully be in surgery soon. This is a very important procedure in helping the doctors determine what dad needs next. He has three different doctors, all with varying opinions on what the next step of medical treatment should be. Our prayer is that this test will make it very clear what needs to be done and that all doctors will be in agreement so they can move ahead with confidence.

Thank you for your steadfast prayers and for not giving up hope that God is still capable of doing a miracle in dad. We cling to the knowledge that He is the Great Physician and Healer.

Specific prayer requests:

- Clear results from the heart catherization today.

- Extra knowledge and wisdom for the doctors as they work with dad who is a very 'unique' case. Dad's ready to be called something other than 'unique' :) He'd be very happy with status quo right now.

- Dad's heart to go back to a consistent, normal beat pattern. They've tried a few different medications and can't get it regulated right now. He will most likely need to remain in the hospital until it's regulated because the risk is too great of his defibrillator going off when he's not under close watch. They want to prevent that from happening as much as they can.

-Relief from the back pain mom is still experiencing on a regular basis.

Friday, February 13, 2009

It's Friday night....Dad was scheduled for his heart catherization today at 1:30. At 4 p.m., he still wasn't in surgery. We called at 5:30 and the nurse said he was in the prep room getting ready. At 7:00 Jared called here and said Dad never had his surgery because the hospital got behind schedule. It is now rescheduled for Monday. Dad will remain at the hospital through the weekend. We will update again when we know more. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts of mom and dad. They have felt the love of those around them.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dear Family & Friends,I am sorry to inform you that I'm in the Heart Center right now because my defibrillator went off this morning @ 9:45 am. Apparently, my heart has been beating irregularly 90% of the time and it threw my heart into cardiac arrest. I am thankful that the defib worked and did its job. They sent me to the hospital to try to get my heart into regular beating. They may move my heart cath ahead a day and have it tomorrow (Thursday) since I am already here in the hospital. This is another setback with my heart issues but I continue to trust God. I will keep you posted after my procedures are finished.Joyfully,Dan

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

I struggle with being an authentic worshiper of God at times because of my struggle with the side effects of my treatment and the disease that I am fighting. If I were to be honest with you, I have struggled with daily worship for most of my life because I can get preoccupied with other things. These things are not necessarily wrong but they keep me busy so that I do not worship effectively with my God. I have found that I need to focus on God now or I will get discouraged and have difficulty making it through the day. Worshipping God in heaven is the theme in Revelation 4-5, where the church is in heaven and responding to God. I believe Rev. 3:10 indicates clearly that the church will be raptured and now they are pictured as the 24 elders giving God glory, honor, and thanks “You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory, honor and power” (4:11). What a celebration service there will be as we sing “a new song” (5:9), and gather together to celebrate our Savior’s life and death as we spend eternity with our God. I need to be lost in the wonder of my Savior and be captivated by His glory, power, and honor. Worship is commanded in Scripture and should be a normal part of my life as I respond to God. I need to live a lifestyle of adoration, praise and thanksgiving. As I respond to all that God is with all that I have, I will realize that God is enough. As I focus on God, I can know that God alone is the answer and He alone can bring peace to my life as I journey through uncharted waters. I can depend on God at all times and He alone is the answer to my every need. GOD IS ENOUGH! What a great and inspiring thought. God is sufficient to meet all of our needs because Of His faithfulness, His love, His righteousness, and His grace. We can depend upon Him because He will never do something that does not conform to His character. I have found that it is not easy to be a worshiper of God when you are not feeling well and are going through a difficult illness. On the other hand, one of the best things that I can do is to focus on God and lift up His attributes in praise and worship. I need to make sure that I do not run from God but run to Him for strength and grace. I need to remind myself that He is righteous and that nothing happens apart from it being part of His divine plan for my life. My God is a God of goodness and He designs everything for my good and for what is best for me. I need to look to see what God is doing and rejoice that my life is being changed for my good, for my growth, and for His glory. When my perspective is right, I can look at trials from His viewpoint and rejoice in what God is doing. Are you living a life of worship? Are you rejoicing in your trials? Do you realize that God is enough?Dan

Monday, February 9, 2009

Have you ever felt abandoned by God? In the midst of trials and hardships we can only wonder if God is really concerned and is He there for us in time of need. With my debilitating illness there have been times where I have felt loneliness and discouragement. During those times I have found that God’s Word is a source of great comfort as I am reminded of an eternal truth that brings me reassurance. The author of Hebrews reminds us of one of those great truths as he states:”Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5). This statement reminds us that we can never be abandoned by God. Our feelings may be flawed but reality is that God will never forsake us for a moment. On the other hand, Jesus was totally forsaken by God when He bore the sins of the world on His shoulders during His time on the cross. God, who is holy, cannot look upon sin, so He totally rejected Jesus while He was on the cross. Jesus did experience total abandonment and knows what it is like to be rejected. Jesus is described as being our sympathetic Savior and does understand all the difficulties and problems that we face. He cares about us and we can cast our concerns upon Him (I Peter 5:7). It is so comforting to know that Jesus cares and understands our deepest needs. When we do feel abandonment we can go to our intercessor and mediator and know that He totally understands our feeling of loneliness and rejection because He was abandoned by His Father. Jesus knows our feelings even if they are illegitimate and wrong feelings. I would have to admit that this has been the biggest challenge of my life as I have faced the loss of almost all my physical capabilities. My disease has progressed and I feel weaker all the time. I need to trust and be encouraged daily by God’s presence so I can cope with this debilitating disease. The truth of Jesus’ abandonment is that because He was forsaken by God the Father and went to the cross to give us life and a relationship to the eternal God we will never be abandoned by the Lord. What an important biblical truth that Jesus understands our feeling of abandonment because He was forsaken by God. He is truly our sympathetic Savior and understands our feelings even if they are wrong feelings. I am thankful that I can express my feelings to my Lord and be honest with Him because He understands and cares. Dan

The Psalms have been a special blessing to me in my life and especially during this time that I am battling a serious heart illness. It is important to have a sense of humor when you are going through difficult times. The prednisone that I am taking has many adverse side effects. My body has changed so that some people have difficulty recognizing me when I am in public. I have the round face and hunchback neck. I call myself “Bucky Beaver” and make light of the fact that I have had some major physical changes. It is important not to take yourself too seriously and to find some humor in our situation. There are some serious things that God wants us to deal with in time of illness. We are challenged in Psalm 139 at how special we are in God’s design. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and God has a plan for each of our lives. In this chapter we are reminded in Psalm 139:23 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts.” It is important for all of us to examine ourselves daily and to make sure that our heart is right with God. God is allowing me to go through a time of adversity and wants my total obedience and commitment to Him. All of us are either going through trials or we will be going through them in the near future. God wants to use times of hardship and adversity as times of refining so we can grow in intimacy with Him. We need total dependency upon God and it is in those storms of life that we realize that we need God and we can draw closer to Him. As I personally deal with my illness and the side effects of the prednisone, I need to examine myself to make sure that I am learning the lessons that God is wanting to teach me. It is important to be teachable and humble before God so that we are receptive to all that God wants us to learn through our life experiences. I want to be real with God and with people where I am growing as an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. I do not know my future on this earth and what the outcome of my disease will be but I know that someday I will be with Him in heaven for all of eternity. I want the chance to impact as many lives as I can on this earth and to live for His glory. I believe that God has given me a deeper message with my life experiences and that I can impact many lives as I communicate His Word to others. I want to live an examined life where I am not on spiritual autopilot and coasting in spiritual apathy. The key is to make this my daily prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me, and know my anxious thoughts.” Will you live an examined life with me?Dan

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The book of Philippians is a book centered around the theme of joy. The word “joy” or “rejoicing” is mentioned in this book sixteen times. Paul commands us to rejoice always and yet humanly speaking this seems impossible. I have come to recognize that I can only experience this kind of joy when I realize it is through the Lord Jesus Christ and my relationship to Him.

The secret is that joy comes from the Lord and it cannot be manufactured. It is supernaturally given through the work of the Holy Spirit and through the very life of Christ living through and in me. I want and need this type of joy in my life where I can live above a life-threatening illness. How do you have joy when you feel bad and you do not have energy to do the basic things in life? How do you rejoice when you have been in good health and enjoyed life so much and yet now you cannot tie your own shoes. This has been a very difficult time for me because my illness and the treatment make me feel very weak physically and emotionally challenged.

Paul was in prison suffering when he wrote this book of and yet he demonstrated that he lived above his circumstances. He challenged the saints in Philippi that they could experience Christ’s joy despite any difficult circumstance they may be facing. We can have joy when we lean completely upon the Lord and depend upon Him for our purpose and meaning in life. We are commanded to rejoice and it is disobedient when we choose to rely

upon something other than Jesus Christ for our joy.

I have chosen to trust God and to realize that it is only through Jesus Christ that I can overcome my circumstances and have joy in my life. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit and is a by-product of the Spirit-controlled life. I need to make sure that I do not “quench the Spirit” (I Thee. 5:19) or “grieve the Spirit” (Eph. 4:30) because then I will not have joy in my life. I want joy rather than a bitter spirit and it only comes from my relationship to Jesus Christ .

Dear Friends,I am sending out a devotional as an attachment to those on my e-mail list. I have been journaling my Bible reading for years but during the past three months have included my responses and thoughts in regard to my illness. My two procedures scheduled for this week were postponed because of a bad cold and chest cough. These procedures will determine the extent of my heart damage and set the course for future treatment and prognosis of my heart disease. The doctors think that I not only have sarcoid in my lungs and heart but that I also had a viral infection that came unannounced during the past month. I am trusting God and want to bring Him glory through my response to this disease. I also have a blogspot that you are welcome to visit that talks about our family and this illness. Thank you for your prayer support and concern. Joyfully In Christ,Dan Currie

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

We have our entire family home for the Christmas holidays with all eighteen of us, including the eight grandchildren all under six years of age. We are so blessed as a family and so enjoy being together as family with our children, their spouses, and grandchildren. Patty will be going to see the chiropractor on Monday, Dec. 29, to see if they can help her with the back pain that she has had for six months. I spent a night at the Meijer Heart Center on Monday, Dec. 22, because my heart went into a serious irregular heart beat again. I had a petscan that morning in Lansing and that procedure could have set my heart into a frenzy. My heart would beat as fast as 200 beats a minute and then back to normal. The cardiologist thinks that changing the prednisone to 40 mg. a day from 80 mg. may have triggered this recent problem. They were able to get my heart back to normal and because of the holidays released me sooner than expected. I was so glad to get home for the holidays after being fearful that I would spend Christmas in the hospital. The journey with sarcoidosis has been a challenging time but we are thankful for the spiritual lessons that God is teaching us through my illness. Thank you for your prayer support and we do appreciate the many words of encouragement.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A quick note to let you know that dad found out the combination treatment is working well enough that his doctor is going to lower the dose of prednizone that he's on. Dad's been at 80 since summer and now has been reduced to 60 and by next week it will be lowered to 40. The combination of chemo and steriods has finally started to reduce the sarcoidosis. We are so grateful for positive news and hope that dad will begin to feel some relief from side affects soon! It's been so encouraging to hear words of hope from doctors instead of more discouraging news. We praise God for his continued faithfulness in this journey and pray for a steady road, to a more symptom free life for dad.

Thanks for your steadfast prayers and encouragement to all of us as a family,

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I want to thank you from my heart and with deep appreciation for the prayer support from my church family. This has been a very difficult road that I have travelled during the past several months and it seems like the only news that I have received from the medical community has been discouraging and negative in regard to my health situation. I wanted to share with you some good news that I heard from the cardiologist today.

Yesterday I went to the W. Michigan Heart Center and the electrical cardiologist put a monitor on my defibrillator and it showed that my heart was beating normally most of the time and that I had not experienced any severe irregular heart beats during the past several weeks. My defibrillator was not close to going off again during this time even though mentally I thought there were times that it was going to shock me.. They took a blood test and reported to me today with enthusiasm that I no longer am experiencing congestive heart faiilure and feel confident that my heart is gaining strength and that the treatment is working. That was good news and means that for the first time in several months that things are improving. Because of the recent blood clots I have been completely sedentary for ten days. Now I can start doing some limited exercise to regain my strength.

I still have many of the same symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, heavy breathing, etc. but these are partially due to the treatment (prednisone and chemo) and all the other drugs that they have me on at this time. I wanted to share this good news and answer to prayer because it shows that my heart is gaining strength and that progress is being made. Thank you again for your prayer support and the many ways that you have shown your love and concern.

I am open to visitors but if you could call ahead and keep it short that would be helpful for the healing process. It has been difficult for me to not only deal with the disease but to be isolated from people who I love. As you know I am energized by people and love being with people but due to my health conditions it has been best to let my body heal.

I am sending this information realizing that many of you may already know some of this news but wanted to update you on several things regarding our health issues. Patty had a mylogram on Monday and was told that her herniated discs were no longer pressing against her nerves. They cancelled surgery for Tuesday (Nov. 4) and she will be going back to the physical therapy as a solution to her back problems. At first she was upset because she had prepared herself for surgery and was hoping for a solution to the pain that she has suffered for six months. Now, we have peace about this and are thankful that God has answered prayer and brought physical healing although the pain is still acute. They think that she has bruised nerves that may take months of therapy and spinal injections.

Many of you know that on Sunday, Oct. 26, I was in the foyer of the church prior to the Sunday School hour when I experienced a cardiac arrest. My defibrillator went off four times and did what it was supposed to do in such circumstances. I was taken to Meijer Heart Center and spent five nights there as they were able to regulate my heart. The prednisone (80 mg) that I was taking had not stopped the sarcoidosis in my heart and it had spread and progressed during the last seven weekes of treatment. I am now on a combined chemo and prednisone trreatment which works with many cardiac sarcoidosis patients. It is kind of a trial and error in that no one treatment works for all. It may take 4-6 weeks to see if this treatment works but for the time I need to be patient and keep trusting God. Thank you for your prayer support and for the many encouraging words through e-mail and cards. God has certainly taken us both through a journey where we are experiencing His rich grace and strength. This has certainly not been something that we asked for but know that He is sovereign and makes no mistakes. Nothing takes God by surprise and we are trying to learn the lessons that He is teaching us. We just became grandparents for the eighth time last night (Oct. 5) with Jared & Mel the proud parents of their first child, Israel Stephen Currie. He was 9 lb. 1 oz. and is a healthy little boy. They will be moving back to Hastings at Christmas to start their deputation for missions with New Tribes Missions. They will complete their last semester of training in Missouri and live in our area during their prefield ministries. Thank you again for all of your love and support!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Well, mom had her Mylogram CT Scan this morning and it showed nothing. The most frustrating part is that there is still a lot of pain, especially after the test this morning. She will be flat on her back for a couple of days and then starting physical therapy to try to rehab. We're not sure what to think of all this as there have been conflicting opinions from doctors and radiologists throughout the past 6 months. Please pray for some clarity on the situation and that mom would find some relief from the pain soon through rehab, meds or maybe chiropractic. Until then, she and dad will be on their backs together.

Dad is back home from the hospital as of Friday the 31st. He was admitted on Sunday and spent 5 days. We spent the day together on Saturday to celebrate Mom and Cameron's birthdays. We had a nice day of relaxing, good food, watching football, enjoying some fresh air, and most of all...enjoying more time together. Jason flew in from Omaha for a few days to join us. We await Jared & Mel's call to announce baby Israel's birth! Hopefully it'll be soon! Although, Cameron did offer Mel $100 if she held out til the 7th, so Israel & Cameron could share a birthday :)

Mom's back surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning, the 4th. Hopefully she'll be up and running soon! This is a long time coming and she's hoping for relief in the near future. Danae & the kids will be spending a few days at their house to help out.

We thank you for your continued prayers for dad and mom. Some specific things you can pray for are:

-Dad's sarcoidosis would not spread any further.-The prednizone would begin to aggressively heal dad.-The side effects of the prednizone would not be so uncomfortable to live with.-His heart rate would stay regular.-His spirits to remain high as he struggles with not being able to do so many things he loves.....being with people, playing with his grand kids, being there for mom in her back struggles, pastoring a church, working out...eating whatever he wants :)

-Mom's surgeon and radiologist to agree on what they are seeing in the scans and MRI images.-Mom's surgery to go better than expected Tuesday.-Speedy relief from back pain and a quick recovery.

Our biggest praise.....in God's goodness, dad already had his diffibulator when his heart needed it most.

About Me

A husband of one, a father of four and each of their spouses, a grandfather to seven on earth, two in heaven, and two on the way. A pastor and friend to many...and most importantly, a child of the Most High One.